Thanks for keeping Broken Stove in mind. My mother-in-law said it was a challenge to piece because the stovepipe wandered through the blocks. We may be looking for a pattern that has had a name change, or Broken Stove might have been a regional or local name for another pattern. She was born in Tennessee.

Perhaps the challenge was in placing the stovepipe piece in the block correctly so that it would hook up to other blocks' stovepipe pieces. She didn't piece intricate designs, but worked with old patterns like the 9-patch. She mentioned the Bow Tie pattern, so she must have been familiar with piecing on the diagonal, which would be a factor in Broken Stove, wouldn't it?

I've thought and thought about this pattern, trying to imagine how it might look, but haven't sat down at the drafting table (gridded paper pad in my lap) to really come to grips with it.

We'd all have an easier time if my first mother in law was still alive, or I had a piece of an old Broken Stove quilt top to go by. As it is, all the clues (stovepipe wandering through the blocks, Tennessee) have been given. My memory is vivid of sitting with her outdoors on a lawn swing, piecing Nine-Patch blocks, talking about her quilting days. The swing was under an "ellum" tree as she called it--an elm to this city kid of 17. She was already white-haired at 65.

If the block cannot be found, and I can come up with my own design, it would honor her.

The picture of the Broken Block is intriguing and is downloaded into my Possibles folder.

Hey Judy,
I have a sister in law living in Tenn. She's actually on her way here for a couple of days. I'll have her look around her area and talk with the guilds there to see if anyone has the pattern, ever heard of the pattern, or what. How's that? No promises, but she'll do what she can to find it for you.
Sharon

In the early 1960s my mother-in-law, raised in Tennessee, told me about it but couldn't remember exactly how it was pieced.

I've been directed to the Broken Stone pattern, but I'm looking for Broken Stove. It's been a while since I ran a search on the Internet, so I'll try it again. Still, someone besides my m-i-l must know about this pattern.

:?:

Hey JL ... did you know that if you google on "broken stove quilt" now, your name comes up on the first page? when people are fighting for your autograph can I say "I knew her when ...)?

There's my name, contained within the Quilting Board link to this thread.

Yes, ladies, when I'm all lathered up in fame and fortune you will be exalted as faithful companions and cheerleaders on the Quest for the Broken Stove. We'll need a scribe to record the adventure, several pack horses to carry evidence, and camels when we hit the desert. Ever onward!